He told the annual Seafood NZ conference at Te Papa in Wellington that if the process took longer to get right, then so be it.
The policies and settings around discards and dumping, deemed values for the landing of fish where there is no catch entitlement and the penalty regime all needed to be dealt with.
He said the industry’s Promise campaign and related Code of Conduct sent a strong message that the sector was serious about lifting its performance.
Like politicians, the industry could be tainted by a few who did not step up, seized upon by an unforgiving media.
He said there had been gasps at the Forest & Bird conference when he reckoned that its head Kevin Hague and fishing leader Peter Talley wanted the same thing. That was sustainable fisheries.
Electronic reporting and global positioning was well advanced across the fleet.
He admitted that he, too, struggled with change and that every Friday a package of papers weighing about 20kgs relating to his four portfolios was delivered.
He always spoke from written notes, while others like Governor-General Patsy Reddy spoke off an iPad.
He said change was coming. “At the next conference I’ll have my iPad.”
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones told the conference the $3 billion growth fund was open for business from the fishing industry.
He echoed Nash’s stance on cameras, saying there were a number of legacy issues to sort out that extended back to the introduction of the Quota Management System.
Then the conversation could be had around cameras.
“Do not put the cart in front of the horse,” he said.
He decried a creeping tide of cynicism and misinformation against the industry and also had a shot at the US-based Pew Foundation for intervening in the Kermadecs.
“Property rights are at stake. We will not repeat the errors of the last regime.”
Nelson mayor Rachel Reese was also highly supportive of the industry that is such a vital component of her city, Australasia’s largest fishing port.
She said Talley’s, Sealord and Sanford were names to be proud of.
She urged better connection with local government and better story telling about the industry’s successes.
The conference, which was preceded by a technical day, drew 300 delegates from throughout New Zealand and from Australia.
Seafood NZ chair Craig Ellison delivered a candid industry report card on progress on the code of conduct, which encompasses illegal behaviour, endangered species bycatch, science and innovation and crew safety.
A hard marker, his verdict was we are showing progress but still need to do better. There are high hopes for 2019.
My Food Bag co-founder and popular chef Nadia Lim said the company had grown to such an extent it was now delivering 10 tonnes of whitefish and 1.5 tonnes of salmon every week, an extraordinary amount.
This was changing peoples’ eating behaviour, with fish becoming a more regular component of meat-based diets.
Lim, who confessed to once dreaming of doing a cooking show with Jamie Oliver to be called Food in the Nude, believes all fish are created equal and has introduced customers to 35 different species.
Fellow chef and Yellow Brick Road national sales manager Martin Bosley told of his similar work, promoting lesser-known species such as kahawai and trevally.
Department of Conservation leaders Lian Butcher and Ian Angus rated the collaboration with industry and praised the contribution by the Deepwater Group for reducing sea lion pup mortality on Campbell Island last summer.
The priority was to grow the relationship, drawing on the expertise of those fishing in the sub-Antarctic in particular.
The 2019 conference will be held in Queenstown on Aug 8 and 9, preceding the biennial Australasian rock lobster conference.
